How To Get Your Houston Metro Prospects To Respond To Your Marketing Messages

We have a pretty clear choice as Houston Metro business owners in our current cultural moment.

Either we allow all of the media negativity (social and otherwise) to rob us of our focus and drive, through distraction and the agitation of the moment, and our business sort of putters along, maybe dies — or we choose to fight off these enemies of distraction and negativity and put our noses to the grindstone … and grow.

But doing that well does require more than mere intention. We need clarity and strategy.

This is part of what we get to provide on behalf of our Houston Metro business owner clients: an outside voice who can spot missed financial opportunities and profit-sucking expenses in books, pointing you in the right direction.

One of the areas often missed by certain of our clients is in clear marketing. Unfortunately, many businesses do a nice job of putting together sales pieces, campaigns etc., but when it comes to giving their prospect a tangible reason to take action, they fall on their face.

You cannot underestimate the difficulty of promoting someone to actually care about what you are offering. We’re often so “close” to our own businesses that we believe that OF COURSE everyone else is too.

So, you wouldn’t think an accountant would pay attention to this stuff, but it plays itself out in my firm as well. So here are some thoughts on becoming more clear about your offerings …

How To Get Your Houston Metro Prospects To Respond To Your Marketing Messages“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better.” – Jim Rohn

Moving into and towards the end of summer, we’re about to see many different, creative excuses to reach out to customers or clients to cross-sell other services, or reach out to prospects and give them a reason to “get over the hump” so to speak, and make a purchasing decision.

However, one of the things I’ve noticed is that many small business owners or marketing directors write or deliver great sales messages … then when they get to the “offer” (the *reason* for the recipient to respond), the whole message falls apart.

The sale that was about to take place winds up in the trash, or the browser tab is closed and the sales opportunity goes away with it.

So, here are some tips for constructing a powerful offer to match your powerful copy:

Don’t be ashamed of the price. Especially in this environment, too many companies try to skim past the offer, hoping their prospects won’t pay attention to the price. Guess what? They are going to pay attention! But, if you’ve written a good enough letter to sell them — then they’re sold. Don’t suddenly apologize for giving your product the price value it’s worth.

Give your prospects multiple options for purchasing. This one is close to my heart. Prospects need a variety of ways to pay for the product. Clearly present the payment methods you’re willing to accept (the more, the better!). Furthermore, give your prospect a variety of ways to order: phone, fax, mail, online. The more diverse you make it, the more orders you’ll receive.

Write the offer clearly. Be sure to include the price, exactly what the product or service is, and any additional bonuses you might be including.

Be sure to include your contact information! You wouldn’t believe how often small businesses and marketers miss this step. Some really incredible marketing messages have been ruined by simply neglecting to give prospects a way to reach the company.

But most of all — plan ahead, and don’t miss the opportunities out there these next few months.

Feel very free to forward this article to a Houston Metro business associate or client you know who could benefit from our assistance — or simply send them our way? While these particular articles usually relate to business strategy, as you know, we specialize in tax preparation and planning for families and business owners.